Hong Kong / Canada

May Chan was born in Hong Kong and she immigrated to Canada in 1963. Chan studied painting and drawing at Concordia University in Montréal, graduating in 1967. She earned a degree in art education from Queen’s University in 1976 and an M.F.A. from York University in 1984. Chan currently is based in Kingston, Ontario, working as a visual artist and writer and performance artist, but is perhaps best known as a performance artist. Her work is characterized by a steadfast, careful observation of everyday details and a keen eye for the expressive elements of personal history, which she uses to bring the audience into her way of perceiving. She has presented work extensively in Canadian artist-run centres over the past 25 years.